Automobile controller-lever lock.



F. C. MILLER. AUTOMOBILE OONTROLLRR LEVER LOOK.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7, 1910.

Patened Aug. 1, 1911 aeaaes.v

' FRANKLIN c. MLLER, or EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

Auromcsrnn CONTROLLER-LEVER Loon.

To'aZZ 'whom 'it may concern:4 y

' 'j Be it known-that I, FRANKLIN C.v MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Easton, in the`county of Northampton and 4,State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new y and useful Automobile Controller-Lever "Lock, of which the following is a speciica-l tion. Y

' D'This invention has reference to controllers for automobiles, and the principal object of the invention is tosimplii'y the construction and arrangement of parts in devices of the character shown in an application for patent filed by me April 26, 1909, Serial No. 492,189. 4 v l The stated object and suchV other objects as will appear hereinafter are attained by the' use of the mechanism illust-rated in the accompanying drawings, andthe present invention consists in certain ynovel `features zof thesame'which will be hereinafter rst fully Y l' [described and then more particularly pointed tout in the Aappen ded ci aims.

- 'f .In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of al controller equipped with my present improvements. Fig. 2 `is a longitu-v dinal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig, 1; Fig.' 3 is a horizontalv section taken 'on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4c is a detail elevation of a portion of the handle. Fig. 5 is a1 detail perspective view ofthe combined push button and lock. Fig. Gis a detail side view of the same, and Fig. 7 is a detail secion on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

My'invention is applicable to any of the operating levers Aordinarily providedon an automobile, either for operating the brake, changing the speed gear, or stopping the .engine. The invention may be applied t any of these levers, and inl the drawings, a lever 1 is shown secured to a rock shaft 2 and providedwith a longitudinally-disposed slot 3 near its vlower end through which passes a i f through which sectorflhaving teeth 5 on its under edge. The lever 1 is equipped with a holding means comprising a slide 6 provided with longitudinal slots 7 through which securing screws 8 are inserted into the lever to maintain the slide in its-proper relative position, while between the slots 7 the slide is provided with, a longitudinallydisposed slot 9 l the sector 4 passes, a tooth lOlfbeing formed at the lower end of the slot 9=t`oengage the rack on the'unde'r edge of the sector, wli'ereby'the lever will be heldinl Specification of LettersPatent. Application led March 7, 1910.- Serial No. 547,808.

Patented Aug. 1, `ieri.

the position .to which it may be adjusted. A

link or connecting rod 11 rises from the upper end of the slide 6 and this link or conneet-ing rod may be formed integral with the slide orsecured to the same in any desired manner` the drawings showing the rod as threaded into the upper end of the slide. The lever is provided with av handle 12 havving a longitudinally-arranged chamber 13 into which the upper end of the link or connecting rod 11 extends, and the said chamber 13 is of less diameter in its lower por- `tion than in itsupperportion, whereby an annular shoulder 14, upon which may rest a spring 15,'.coiled around the link or connecting rod 11, is formed. Upon the upper end ofthe said link, I swivel a sleeve or thimble 16 having a semi-annular slot 17 near its upper end and piovided with a radial projection 18 near its lower end. The projection 1S normally lies within a longitudinallydisposed recess 19 in the handle and is adapted to slide in the said recess, this sliding movement being transmitted to the sleeve or'thimble by the push button when it is desired to actuate the holding means consisting of the link 11 and the slide 6 in order to permit the controller, or lever 1 to be moved forward. The sleeve or thimble 16 receives the lower end of a cylinder 20 which carries a. projection 21 playing in nthe semi-annular slot y17 of the sleeve orthimble, and this 'cylinder 20 extends through a casing 22 and projects beyond the upper end of the same-to constitute a push button beyond theuppcr end of the handle 12, as shown at 23, andiis provided in said end with a radial slot or key hole to receive a key 30. The casing 22 is provided with a -rib or ol'set 24 engaging a recess 25 1n the handle, whereby the, said casing may have a longitudinal' sliding movement inthe handle but will be prevented from rotating therein.

The key 30 operates the coacting tumbler pins 31 and 32, the former of which is pressed by a spring 33 housed in the offset chamber 2a of the casing or barrel 22. The cylinder is adapted to make one complete rotation so that the key 30 can be inserted to operate the lock and be removed after the latter is in locking position. The thimble is actuated by theprojection 21 of the cylinder impinging against the end of the slot 17 and the upper end of the thimble is provided with a projection or lug 34 which is adapted to engage approximately diametrically disposed shoulders 35, one of which is shown in tively,,to accommodatethe-offset 24 andthe vprojection 18 -and 1s also` provided with one or moretransverse grooves 29 adaptedv to receive the projection 18 when the ,sleefe or sliding movement of the said sleeve or cylin-= cylinder 16 is rotated and thereby prevent lder and, consequently, lock the holding means against movement so thatthe controller cannot be operated andl tampering with the automobile during the ownersabsence will be positively prevented. The cylinder 20 and the push button.,will be-controlledA by the key' 30, which key wi-ll, of

. inder.

course, lalways remain in the possession of the owner or the chauffeur. Y

With Athe parts arranged as shown in Fig. 1, the controller or lever may be actuated by pressing inward on the push button so as to press the sleeve 16 downward lagainst the tension of the spring 15 and thereby actuate the slide 6 to remove the tooth 10. from engagement with the rack 5. The lever or controller may bethen shifted to the desired position and the pressure onfthe push button released, whereupon the slide wi'l'l automatically engage thefrack underthe influence of the spring 15 and hold the controllerin Aits adjusted position. Should the owneriof the vehicle desire to lea\ c the same temporarily, he inserts the key into the cylinder 20 and thereby releases the tumblers -from the cyl- The cylinder may then be rotated and the projection Q1 `will thenfridethrough the slot 17V to the opposite end ofthe same and will thereafter actuate the sleeve '16 so as to carry the projection 18 into engagement with one ot' the grooves 29 and,` consequcntly, by the said engagement. prevent longitudinal sliding movement of the sleeve. rlhe shoulders 35 and the lug flserve to arrest thc rotation of the thimble or sleeve 16 at the end of a half revolution so that the parts cannot be carried into such relative positions as will interfere with the proper opt-ration of the dcvice. Rotation of the,

'key and the cylinder in the opposite direction will restore the parts to their.: normal wposition so that the longitudinal sliding movement of the sleeve and the holding means may be again effected.

V It will be observed that in my present device, a single spring serves to hold the holding means in engagement with the rack or sector andalso to project the push button 'into its normal position, where itfmay., be

`there-if: through the push button will be f transmitted directly to the connecting rod by the end of the cylinder coming into contact with the button or head at the upper end oft,` the rod. The number ofparts are reduced and the construction is simplified so that the enpenae of manufacture is mini- Fromy the foregoing description, taken in connection with' thev accompanying drawing-S; the .advanf ages of the construction and of the methodof operation will be readily apparent to; hoseskilled in they art to which the invention appertains, and while I have now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood-that the device shown is merely illustrative, and

that such changes may .be made vvhenv-,de-y

sired as are within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described the inventioi-n'what I claim as new, and desire to secureby tersl Patent, is

1. The combination of a. controller having a chambered handle at its outer end, .holding means for the controller including a reciprocatory member located alongside the. controller and 'projecting at one end'into the handle, a combined actuating andkeyreleased locking device arranged within the said chambered handle and swiveled upon the end of said reciprocatory member, said device normally projectingat one end from the (inter end of the handle so as to form a push button, whereby the reciprocatory member may beactuated and releasedby vpress-ing inwardly on the push button, said push button having a. key-hole to receive a key for locking it against such inward movement, anda spring for holding the push button in Said projecting relation.'

2.l The combination ot' 'a controller, a hohling means therefor including a reciprocatory member'mounted on the controller, a. push button mounted in the handle 'end of the controller, a device mounted on the reciprocatory member and adaptedto operatively connect thel same with the push button, and a key controlled means Within the handle end of the controller for effectdescribed the principle of operation of '.he invention, together with the device which I' x' Y ing rotary movement oi the push ovatfxn fo throw said connecting device into and c' of inoperative position.

The combination of a pivoterl controller having a chaniibered handle at its outer end, a rigidly mounted sector, a slide mountal on the controller and adapted 'to engage the sector, a link rising from the slide and ex.- te'nding along the controller into the chambered handle thereof, a combined actiniting.;` and key-released locking device ,mounted on the upper end of the link Within the chamber of the handle, and a spring Within the handle bearing upwardly against the lower end of the combined actuating and locking device, whereby a single spring serves to hold the slide in engagement. with the sector andalso actuates the locking device.

et. The combination of a controller'having a chambcred handle at: its outer end, holding means for the controller, a combined actuating and key-released locking device arranged in the said chambered handle and connected with the holding means, a portion of the said device projecting out of the chambered handle to form a push button and permanently attached to the portion within the chambered handle, and a single spring Within the chamber of the handle for holding the push button end of the said device in projecting relation and the holding -means in its engaged position.

5. The combination of a controller having a chambered handle, holding means for the controller, a device arranged in the chambered handle for actuating, the holdingl means, said device comprising Va member projecting out of the chamber to form a. push button, a key-released means for locki ing the member in different positions, and a sleeve carried by said member andmovable into and out of locking engagementwith the chamhered handle and connected with the holding means.

G. The combination of a controller having a chambered handle pro-vided with an` in ternal transverse groove, a holding means for the controller, and a device arranged within the handle toactuate the holding means, said device comprising a member projecting trom the chambered handle to form a push button, a sleeve carried by said amber and connected with the holding sans and provided with al projection playl in; normally in the chamber ot' the handle and adapted to engage the transverse groove therein, and key-released means for penmitting the sleeve to rotate to bring the projection thereon into engagement with the transverse groove in the handle.

7. The combination of a controller having a chambered handle provided With an interi nal transverse groove andan annular shoulder, a holding -means for the controller projecting into the "chamber in the handle, a sleeve having a swiveled connection With the holding means, a spring bearing against the annular shoulder in -the handle and against the end of the sleeve, a cylinder havm9; one end fitting Within the said sleeve and adapted to actuate the same and its opposite end project-ing from the handle to form a. push button, and means on the sleeve to engage the handle whereby movement of the sleeve longitudinally of the handle will be prevented. l

8. The combination of a controller having a chambered handle provided with a longitudinally-disposed recess and having a transverse groovecommunicating Wit-h said recess, a holding device for the controller projecting into the chamber in-the handle of the same, a sleeve having a swiveled connection with the said holding means and provided with a projection playing in the longitudinal recess and adapted to engage the transverse groove, a Spring disposed Within the chamber of the handle and acting on the said sleeve to normally hold the same and the holding` means toward the end of the han- 

